


What the Past has Wrought

by Seruna



Series: Universe: Shade and Canach [9]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Asura - Freeform, Established Relationship, Hints to events of Living Story, Inquest, Lots of plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-26 17:13:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12562256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seruna/pseuds/Seruna
Summary: There are strange occurances in Caledon Forest that Shade is determined to investigate. Two Newborn sylvari are missing, an Asura crew appears out of nowhere and the asura make no attempt to prove their innocence when a sylvari is found dead and an underground complex is found. Shade soon realizes it is all a set-up, but never would have dreamed just what kind of mystery awaits him beneath the surface.





	1. Teaser

It was not news that Shade sometimes acted impulsively and rashly. Sometimes his instinct was simply faster than his head – and this was one of those times.

The room was dark and humid. Shade felt the electrostatic in the air, could taste it on his tongue, felt it tingling on his skin. His own magic thrummed in his veins and the loop on his shoulder throbbed. He knew the feeling of this overloaded air, the taste of dark magic, the unbound -

He felt something cool and metallic press into his lower back, the asura that had escorted him all the way down here holding the barrel right into his bark.

“End of the Line, Commander.”, the Asura behind him said in a conceited tone. “Shame, I had thought you were the smart kind.”

Lights flickered on, but only a red, ominious glow illuminated the room and Shade's heart fell.

The room was filled with bloodstone, crystals and shards gleaming from the walls and every corner and when he tried to summon a static aura, the air sizzled loudly, a lightning discharged close to him and then his magic drained from him as the shards consumed it from beneath his skin. He grabbed at his waist, unsheathed his dagger and as he spun around, the sound of a loud shot rang through the room.

For a second everything was quiet, then a body thudded to the floor.

 

 


	2. The Surface

Three days prior.

 

“I am Todd.”, the Asura greeted Shade with a condescending glare of his eyes, even though the Asura was barely taller than his belt. “You are the Commander, I take it?”

“And you must be the Representative we expected three days ago.”, Shade replied nonchalantly. “I expect there is quite some explaining that needs to be done, and I am in quite a hurry.”

“I will try to make it quick and easy enough even a prodginy will understand, although that does not increase your chances.”, the Asura shot back with venom. “Whatever it is you accused my team of, I assure you we have done nothing to compromise the safety of any sylvari.”

“You have been conducting experiments in the Caldeon Forest without permission nor supervision, so far is clear from the crewe member we apprehended. There are two newborn sylvari missing, and their group reported that they investigated a strange thrumming noise they had heard – to never return.”, Shade summed up the events.

“My crew does not sit around to make _thrumming_ noise, Commander.”, the Asura remarked. “We are here to investigate the extraordinary growth factors involved in all the flaura in Caledon Forest and it's renewable qualities.”

“And I am to understand that this-”, Shade pointed to a golem that lay broken into pieces on the ground. “Is not a security golem? That this,” he pointed toward a trap in the ground neatly hidden beneath ferns, “Is not to keep unwary bypassers at bay? That this is entirely in the name of observation?” The golem had of course attacked Shade and the group of Sylvari guards that had come with him, needless to say what had eventually become of the golem due to its unfortunate settings.

“They are precautionary measures, I assure you. None of our golems nor our security system has even so much as _hinted_ to any sylvari in a close proximity radius, except for you.” The last part was grumbled out. 

“You understand we have to search your lab.”, Shade said without casting the asura even a glance and brushed past him toward the entrance of a cave that had been hidden by a mesmer mirage. Kas had been so kind and lend him her extensive knowledge on the magic – and Shade had brought another Mesmer with him to unveil the illusion.

Before them lay a cave entrance that led deep into the cold stone, fern climbing up and serving as a curtain and covering parts of the entrance, hiding it from plain sight if nobody knew what to look for.

“You can't!”, the Asura protested and Shade glared at him over his shoulder.

“I will let you know that I do not like being played, and that I like it even less when I am being lied to. I will give you one last chance to tell me what exactly it is that you were doing here, and if I find a sylvari in there, I am sure the Asura will be happy about a position opening in their College.”

The Asura sputtered at the threat and looked ready to spit fire judging by the color of his cheeks, but he yielded and his shoulders dropped, even his features were contorted in fury. “Fine. This is not so much a compound as it is a means of direct transportation between Metrica Province and Caledon Forest.”

Steps behind him made Shade glance sideways and he saw Canach approach. He wore his usual armor and scowl, gave the Asura a pointy look and stood beside Shade, glancing at the entrance of the cave and made a whistling noise. “So, you have been doing some work?”, Canach asked and Shade was glad for his presence. It was sure to scare the Asura enough to fear not only for his life, but for those of his crew. Canach did have an effect like that on people.

“So this tunnel leads into Metrica Province.”, Shade summed up and Todd nodded eagerly.

“We are from the College of Statistics. Building this would increase trade-fare and interactions considerably. Our cities are already close to one another – it should be just one more step into collaboration and inter-racial cooperation. As you well know the Asura Gates are already open between the cities, but the fair's between Lion's Arch and the Grove as well as Rata Sum grow, and that means- ”

Shade gave him a hard stare. “Evacuate your crew. You have one day.”

“Evacuate?”, Tood echoed with wide eyes. Shade glanced at Canach.

“I hope you feel like blowing something up?”

“Always at your disposal, Commander.”, Canach grinned and Todd raised his hands, gesturing wildly.

“You don't understand! This structure is very fragile, blowing the tunnel would cause the natural border to collapse. You risk bringing rock onto both our heads!”

“I will be the judge of that.”, Shade said. “It is courteous to show a fellow inter-racial collaborator exactly what it is what they will be collaborating on, is it not?” Todd visibly paled. “Do show me, if you would be so kind.”

“It's- as I have said, it is very unstable and-”

An Asura rushed from the darkness within and Shade cast the female Asura that emerged a glance. She looked at him in surprise and halted for barely a second before she approached Todd.

“What is it?”, Todd asked briskly and the female whispered something in his huge ear quite eagerly, but Shade could not make out what they were discussing. Todd groaned and sighed. His eyes trailed toward Shade and he looked like a kid who was caught stealing treats. “It appears we have found your sylvari newborn.”, Todd said slowly and carefully and Shade raised his eyebrows. “But...it would appear they encountered security measures and...”

Shade's chest tightened and he was about to make a step forward to lift the damned Asura from his tiny, wobbly feet when Canach grabbed his shoulder and held him back.

“Show us.”, was all Canach said and he gave Shade a pointy stare. _Don't loose it._

Shade took a deep breath, relished that Todd had taken a fearful step back. Todd nodded eagerly, his ears flapping as he turned and they followed him.

It was dark inside, the tunnel was illuminated by only a few crystals that had been inserted into the walls and various golems rested dormant on the sides like gargoyles. Shade wished that the golems would activate and try to punch them down, there was an anger boiling inside him due to this conceited and arrogant asura that thought he could do as he pleased – and with out consequence. Shade was determined to prove him wrong.

It was evident after only a few meters that Todd had lied, which came to no surprise to Shade, but what he revealed was something even more disturbing. The tunnel split into various directions, some down, some up, some not even illuminated. This was not just one tunnel, but it was a tunnel system reaching deep into the mountains.

“Where do they lead?”, Shade asked and Todd seemed reluctant, but answered anyway.

“They are multiple passages from Metrica Province into Caledon Forest and some even lead into the Brisban Wildlands. Others...are dead ends.”

They walked into a well-illuminated path that had a dead-end, and Shade could already see the furious sparkling of crystals in the distance. There lay a body, cowered and beaten and a security golem with barely a scratch on it.

Shade brushed past Todd and knelt closer to the body, inspected it closely, but found no signs of life. Another Asuran experiment that had cost them lives, another needless expense they would somehow have to accept and forgive, even though toying with their goodwill like this needed to have consequences.

He turned the body around and revealed a male sylvari, armor not yet completely grown, parts of his chest still exposed. The color of his skin was teal, the foliage on his head still short and wild with the tint of seaweed. His eyes were open wide and it looked like he had taken a direct hit against his check; the bark was broken open and sap had flown freely from within, dripping over his cheek onto the ground in a small puddle. His arm was strangely angled, broken, most likely, and the armor that had grown against his bark had been partially torn from his body.

Something seemed off. There was no weapon on the sylvari, nothing at all, yet they all were equipped with one. The sap on the floor was not yet hardened, which meant it was rather fresh, and that could hardly be, judging from the state the body was in. The sylvari was already dead for a few hours, the body cold and rigid to the touch. 

Shade leaned closer, noticed that the wound on the sylvari's cheek had already grown tendrils, small and sprouting, yet they looked withered and had a strange red hue to them, glowing faintly from within and now that Shade looked closer, he saw the same hue in the sylvari's eyes, even though they no longer glowed.

“Bring me some light.”, Shade instructed and Todd objected.

“What do you need light for? He's dead.”

“Commander.”, Canach came closer, knelt down beside him. He lowered his head and whispered, “This is not a dead end.”

Shade did not look up to not arouse suspicion, but that explained why it looked like the sylvari had not died here at all. Placed here, then, after some “blunder”, the sap probably not even his own, but rather poured over the wound to erase suspicion. Perhaps the unfortunate sylvari had stumbled across something or, considering that he had been gone for the better part of the week, had been abducted.

“We will take him back.”, Shade murmured. For the sylvari to die so shortly after waking form the Dream was a fate he wished for nobody – in human terms it was like killing a child. He stood and cast a glance at Todd who looked nervous, despite the hands he had clasped behind his back to puff out his chest. The female Asura was here as well, her eyes were on the golem that had some scratches on it.

The marks on the golem could never have been made by the sylvari. They were clean cut, scratches from a sharp, thin weapon. There were so many of them that the golem looked tattered, yet a newborn sylvari knew little of swordsplay – in fact, Shade would not have been surprised to find the weapon stuck on the very first strike. These cuts were made from a refined blade and a much finer hand.

No. This was a set-up, and Shade would find out why.

“Pack your things. You and your crew will accompany me to the Grove.”, he instructed and slowly let his gaze drift over the wall that was the supposed dead-end.

“To the Grove?”, Todd said and Canach stood also, building himself to full height and when he leaned his shoulders back, it made a much more threatening impression than Todd could ever hope to attain.

“It is a matter of courtesy.”, Shade replied with a sweet smile as he turned. “We will escort you safely to our city.”

“There is much equipment around here, it will take at least two days, if not more, to pack everything.”, the Asura explained and Shade glanced at Canach.

“I am sure you have something at your disposal to help our guests to unburden them permanently from their luggage?”

“That will not be necessary!”, the Asura quickly chirped in. “We'll quickly take our things.” He signaled for the female Asura and she moved quickly, disappearing from sight with her steps echoing along the tunnel. He heard the asura grumble something about “Stupid plants” and “Leaf heads”, but the insults did not even touch him.

Shade looked down at the sylvari and he bit the inside of his lip. What touched him was this. One sylvari was still missing and they were playing games. He had spend too much time with the humans, he mused. They always played their little royal games of intrigue and legitimacy, rumors and whispers and back-hand alleys they only language they truly understood.

“What do you think killed him?”, Shade asked and Canach studied the body.

“I can't say, but judging from the healing process of the wound, someone tempered with the body. There is this strange red hue in the sap and the tendrils.”

Hatred boiled in Shade, a feeling he knew very well for the curious little Asura that had tampered with sylvari before. Caithe and her memory had been one of many occasions – and here they were, fighting against it still.

Shade attempted to lift the body from the ground, but Canach took over. “Let me. No offense, but I have both brawn and brain.”

“I am content with just the brains.”, Shade shrugged, but he could not bear to smile.

The journey back through the tunnels and to the Grove Shade was trying to decide what to do now – the Asura had trespassed on their territory, a sylvari had been killed in the complex they had built and evidently abducted. These were charges that could not be easily dismissed, and Shade hated that he even thought that way – humans always needed evidence for everything, even the smallest amount of doubt could not be tolerated. 

But there was no doubt in Shade's mind that the Asura were responsible. The fact that Todd had reluctantly met them, lied to them and had shown how very little the death of the sylvari touched him all made it perfectly clear.

“We will take the portal to Rata Sum.”, Todd said and the crew was right behind them when they entered. The sylvari guards gave them a curious look. Travelers and visitors were common enough, yet such an orderly group of asura was rare.

Shade gestured for the guards to come closer, not even looking at Todd. The guards moved with grace, the spears in their hand in a apprehensive posture. “Take these Asura to the cells for the time being.”, he instructed and Todd nearly bloated.

“We are guests! We will not be treated in such a way!”

“Would you care to stop me?”, Shade asked with a glare and Todd gave him the very same.

“This will have consequences, Commander.”, he threatened.

“I should hope so. Trespassing and intrusion as well as abduction and murder should not remain unpunished.” He nodded toward the Guards and they took the small group of Asura away. Had the asura truly thought he could simply walk away from this? That despite the lies and the dead sylvari he could simply leave?

Shade let out a deep breath and marched toward the Pale Tree's chamber. With her wisdom and judgement, perhaps he would find some peace and wisdom and a silver lining on how to proceed.

  
  


“These are troubling news, Valiant.”, she murmured, tilting her beautiful pale head to the side, the pollen glowing golden as if fell from her bark. “and even more disturbing accusations. Do you have proof?”

Shade bristled at that. “Mother, the sylvari body we found holds all the evidence, if we care to see them. We can not let the asura get away with trespassing and murder on our own turf.”

“The body itself is not evidence, Valiant.”, the Pale Tree gently said. “What if you are correct, and it was placed by somebody else, but to incapacitate and incriminate the party you have arrested?”

Shade turned his head away. “Then I will search the complex. If there is to be any evidence, it has to be there.”

“Then go, Valiant. New of Rata Sum have already reached us, and the asura are sending someone to negotiate and to incur liability, so far as they see fit.”

“When will they arrive?”

“Soon, I am told. They were quite eager to negotiate terms in hopes of salvaging our affiliation. Gather all the evidence you can and then we can discuss on how to proceed.”

“As you wish, Mother.” Under her gaze he felt little like the Commander or Leader of anything. Under her gaze he was just a Sapling, a Valiant, thrown back to the days he had just emerged from his pot with curiosity and naivete.

In her presence he felt calmer, more at peace and ease. He owed his life to her, would not exists were it not from her separation from Mordremoth, and he felt an eternal gratitude toward her.

As he exited the chamber Canach waited for him, raised his eyebrows. “So, what did our Mother tell you?”

“That whatever conclusions we have drawn from the body are not evidence to convict them for murder. I suggest we head toward that wretched complex and search it, perhaps we can find something there.”

Canach agreed wordlessly and walked beside him as they made their way over the path toward Caledon Forest. “Taimi, come in.”, Shade tried and waited for a couple of seconds before he tried again. “Taimi, this is the Commander, come in.”

There was a loud buzzing noise and it sounded like something had fallen over and clattered to the floor on the other side of the communicator, then strange noises of handling and finally Taimi's voice, a little out of breath, “Ah, Commander, great of you to call. What's up?”

“Taimi we found some members from the College of Statistics here in Caledon Forest that apparently built a complex into our natural borders to create a tunnel system to connect to Metrica Province. A sylvari is missing and we have the suspicion that there is much more to this that simply a tunnel network. The crew left most of their equipment behind and I was thinking that perhaps you can shed some light on the experiments they were conducting.”

“Oh bother.”, Taimi murmured from the other end of the line. “I remember hearing about the construction before, but the idea was scrapped when we found out the rock would collapse. Someone must have proceeded anyway.”

“It does look like it.”; Shade murmured and stood in front of the cave entrance. “They even went through a lot of trouble to conceal it. There was a mesmer illusion covering the entrance and we only ever found it because two sylvari went missing – one ended up dead. We caught one asura by coincidence and then found the lab, but-”

“Comman-”, Taimi's voice turned static as he entered the tunnel that now lay in darkness, the crystals that had illuminated the passages dormant and he waited, but the static was not getting better. He made his way back, and slowly the quality of the communicator increased again. “Breaking up, can't hear you. Ah, it's better now.”

Shade looked toward the cave. “It looks like the signal is jammed inside.”, he murmured. He would have understood if he had lost the signal deeper inside, but even upon entering the cave...this was turning more and more suspicious.

“Well bugger.”, Taimi grumbled. “You can try to describe anything you see in there once you get out. I can try to find out who could have built this thing.”

“Alright, we'll be in touch. Commander out.”

The cave looked ominious to Shade, a secret that asked to be unraveled and yet something told him that there lurked a danger inside he needed to be wary of.

“These asura stick their noses and over-large heads everywhere.”; Canach grumbled. “I remember what it was like being their captive. If that sylvari is still alive, then I can already tell you how unpleasant an experience that is.”

“We have to find her.”, Shade murmured. “I am not leaving before I find proof.”

“Agreed.”, Canach said and together, they entered the darkness.

 


	3. Dipping In

Shade lightened a torch that burned brightly and was watching the golems from the corner of his eyes whenever he passed by them, but they remained seated and dormant, not even a sign of life in them. The flame cast a flickering light over the walls that danced, casting long, winding shadows over all of the equipment that was scattered over the whole area.

“They took absolutely nothing.”, Shade murmured and glanced over the various consoles and crystals, strange devices and instruments that all had screens of thin glass, yet none of them shone. Everything was quiet and the only sound came from the shuffling of their boots and the rustling of Shade's robe.

With his free hand he waved over a console, touched the cool surface in hope of finding a button, a switch, anything to turn on some light or at least a console to determine what it exactly was that he was looking at.

Surprisingly though Shade found the surface was cool and felt soft and he lifted his hand to reveal a thick layer of dust. “They were not using this.”, he said, more to himself even though he knew Canach was here as well.

“There's dust everywhere. These consoles have not been used it quite a long time.”

“There must be a switch for the crystals somewhere, perhaps a data crystal we can collect and give o Taimi.” He knelt down beside the console, rounded it in search for a slit or crevice, but it was all a smooth, metallic surface.

They checked the other isntruments as well, but none of them responded, nor did they have any data crystals on them.

“There is usually a back-up drive in the golems. Their sensors might have picked something up.”, Canach suggested and was making his way back toward one of the dormant golems, slowly began to break it apart.

It was the only sound for quite a while in the large cavern and Shade sighed after he had inspected the last console and had found absolutely nothing. It made so little sense. The crew had definitely worked here, they had to be doing something.

He was aware of the many tunnels leading to the-Pale-Tree-knows-where, but he would investigate the passage and alleged dead-end next before heading into unknown territory.

“It's empty.”, Canach reported from the side and Shade tunred his head toward the small light flickering in the distance. Canach's torch had been cast in the ground and illuminated the area sufficiently, if a little diffuse for the warrior. “The back-up drive was taken and there are no hard-drives either. This thing's just a husk.”

He sighed and grabbed the torch, plucked it form the ground and erected himself. “At least we will not have to worry about an ambush now.”, Shade said. “I have had too many of those back in the day.”

“I can imagine how frustrated the Asura must have been.”, Canach jested.

Shade smiled. “Come on, I want to take a look at that 'dead end'. Let's keep an eye out for anything like a light switch – I'd rather not stumble around this near darkness.”

“We should also treat carefully.”, Canach issued. “The trap outside the cave may very well be an indication that more are inside.”

“Lovely.”, Shade grumbled. The passage winded a little to the left and with the lack of light it looked a little different, but Shade could still see it in his mind's eye: The wall, the golem, the body. “See if you can find anything in this one.”, Shade gestured with his head toward the golem and knelt on the ground where the small pool of sap had dried and hardened. The firelight made it glitter, but it was not sufficient enough to determine exactly how it looked and Shade could not discern if there was a red hue in it or if it was the color of fire reflected in it.

He stood and brought his hand against the wall, let his fingertips drift over the smooth surface of stone. Canach worked, ripping apart the golems plating and shoving wires and devices out of the way to get to the core while Shade searched for a switch, a level, anything that may hide their way into the hidden passage.

“As you may have guessed, this one is also dead. Nothing inside.”Shade's hand brushed over the far wall and made his move toward the dead end. There had to be something here, he just knew. Canach rose to his feet and dusted off his hands, grabbed his torch once more and lifted it over his head. “Found anything?”

“No, but I am _sure_ there has got to be-”

His hand glided through the wall of stone and a cold, sticky feeling engulfed his wrist, pulled his arm in. Before he could even exclaim his body was pulled forward and the torch fell from his hand and clattered to the floor somewhere behind him.

“Shade!”, Canach exclaimed behind him and surged after him and touched the wall, felt the similar pull and waded through, saw the Commander waiting on the others side, a flame burning from the palm of his hand with a surprisingly calm expression.

“I'm fine.”, Shade said and nodded with his head toward the way they came. It was a projection of some kind and they could look into the passage from which they had come, like a one way mirror. “It's a neat trick.”

Canach let out a long, drawn breath, his heart slowly calming. “Perhaps you would allow me to take the lead from now on?”, he grumbled. 

Shade met his dark eyes and it occurred to the both of them that it was somewhat of an unresolved issue between them: He did not want Canach in danger and knew his worry was mirrored with mutual interest by Canach. They both wanted to make an effort to keep the other safe and Shade knew the tactical decision would be to let Canach take the lead since he was the warrior. 

“Of course.”, he replied quietly. Canach approached him and lifted his hand, rested his palm against Shade's cheek and he grasped it with his fingers, leaned into the touch and sighed. The hand was warm and calloused, a contact that grounded and comforted him at the same time.

The moment was only brief and tender, yet it was these small gestures that made Shade's heart melt and beat fondly. A gesture that showed all of Canach's affection in such a small, single movement, the fact that he wanted Shade safe. Canach's hand drifted from his cheek only slowly and they moved on quietly, examining their surroundings carefully.

It was another tunnel that seemed to stretch endlessly and with his magic, Shade laid a trail in the stone so they would find their way back should they get lost. He thought he imagined it, but the passage sloped down just slightly, leading deeper and further into the mountain.

“If my sense of direction is correct, we are heading North-west.”, Canach murmured in front of him. 

“Into Metrica Province.”, Shade concluded and saw Canach nod. The flame danced atop his torch and Shade noticed that the air grew thicker and humid, yet there was no sound. He grew hot under his robes, his shoulder tensing with ever step they took. 

Perhaps they had missed something, like that projected wall. Shade's eyes flickered over the walls to his sides, but could find no sign of any asuran technology. No crystals, no golems, no instruments. Absolutely nothing. 

Until Shade heard the sound of his boots change nadh is gaze turned downward. “Canach...”, he said and the warrior nodded.

“I know.”

Spiderwebs. They began to cover the ground, the sides, veiled everything in a sticky sheet of white. “If there are any remaining, they already know we are here.”, Shade murmured and ducked beneath a spiderweb that dangled from the ceiling. 

A large darkness loomed overhead and they entered a massive cavern, the ceiling out of sight over their heads. It worried Shade, because if he knew one thing, it was that spiders simply loved to drop onto people that were unsuspecting. 

“Stay close.”, Canach said. “Perhaps the flame will keep them at bay until we have found the next passage.”

“Even if we do, is this really what we are looking for?”, Shade asked and suppressed a shudder at the echo of his voice. It seemed so loud here, especially since everything else was so completely quiet. He was simply glad the darkness was kept at bay with the torch and the fire dancing over his palm. He doubted he could have stomached it for as long if he had stumbled through here in utter darkness. “If the sylvari body was placed there, there is no way the asura would bother to march through a nest just to falsify evidence.” His boot got stuck in a small patch of spiderweb and he tried to tear himself free, could hear the skittering of movements above his head. Soon they would strike.

When he looked closer his body froze. “Canach.”, he whispered and the warrior turned, saw the wide, terrified eyes of Shade stare ahead. He lifted his torch and followed his gaze.

There, beneath the spider webs lay asuran consoles, completely dormant and drained, but what caught Shade's gaze what not evidence of the asuran technology. 

It was a large pod, gray and green beneath the many spiderwebs, yet along the plantlike fibers were dark lines of red that crisscrossed all over the pot and the small bulb that held the victim was already open, the inside coated with the same, icky and green fluid of Mordremoth's blighting pod.

The inside was empty, but that did not make Shade relax the slightest. This whole complex must have been a research facility of some sort, but how had the Asura managed to duplicate the Blighting Pods, and what were the dark, red lines that crossed over the side of it? It looked even more corrupted than Shade remembered and the skittering of spider legs and the clacking of pincers brought him from his reverie. 

“The passage is easily defensible.”, Canach said with wary eyes that wandered from side to side and over their heads. “Go. I'll watch your back.”

Shade did not argue. His eyes scanned over the darkness where he could see shadows moving in the flicker of the torch, saw pairs of eyes gleaming in the darkness. They must be eager, Shade thought, but why had they not dared to venture further? The projection was only one-sided, they could have easily broken through and festered in the cave, yet they had remained here, where there was so little prey. 

The passage was just a few feet before him when he heard the pincers right over his head and his hand shot up above him, revealing the massive spider that hung from a web and dangled from the ceiling, its jaw and pincers opened wide. The legs were extended widely to the side and when Shade lifted his hand and encased his whole arm in fire, the beast was terrified and halted its descent, hissing at him sharply.

And Shade would have moved, but he saw it in the spiders eyes, too. That strange, red hue. Red lines crossing over its body, covering its dark, hairy skin. 

Canach almost shoved him into the passage and heard the loud screech of a spider behind him, heard the sound of a sword entering flesh and being pulled from it before Canach's boots followed him. With a flick of his wrist Shade inflamed the spiders webs, covering their escape, even if only briefly.

The spiders screeched and only now could Shade see how many had amassed and just how monstrous they truly were. There were twice as large as himself with big, round bodies and all had that same, red tint on their bodies that Shade had now seen thrice.

It was a corruption, Shade knew. And there was only one thing that would taint not only the mind, but also the body.

“They are tampering with Blighting Pods and Bloodstone.”, Shade breathed as he watched the flames engulf the spider webs. Smoke began to rise and drift into the cavern and the passage, covering everything in a thick veil.

Canach grabbed his hand. “There is time to ponder about that later.”, he insisted. “Perhaps when we have eliminated all chances of becoming spider-fodder, I'll entertain the idea.”

They fled down the passage back the way they had come and only stopped when they reached the projected wall. The screams and sounds of fire had faded into silence and Shade shook his head. “They are using Bloodstone to corrupt the Blighting Pods. That's why the sylvari had those strange red eyes and why the sap was red.”

“They used to.”, Canach corrected. “After all, the spider overran the lab. Whatever they did there, they can no longer recover it.”

“Then how do you explain the body?”, Shade urged. “They experimented on the sylvari, possibly to test the effect of Bloodstone.”

“Perhaps the sylvari wandered too far, was bitten by the spiders and poisoned, then dragged himself here. That is one of many explanations, Shade. The truth is, we have no evidence. All we have is a bunch of bloodstone crazed creatures, an asuran crew that feels no remorse and a dead valiant.”

Shade was fuming inside. They had to have missed something – there had to be something with the spiders, and he was determined to find out what it was. Canach had other ideas.

“We should report this and keep the entrance of the cave under surveillance at all times. There is no telling the spiders could not wander this way and I imagine the crew might have some answers. There is no point in going on ahead – if we attempt to find all of those spiders, I can not even guarantee that we would actually win.”

It was probably for the best, considering there was an asura on his way to the Grove as well and with a last glance back, the both of them wandered back to the Grove.

 


	4. Going Under

“You want to examine the body?”, the mentor repeated quietly. The dead sylvari had been placed back into a pond, obstructed from sight. Various brothers and sisters had gathered to bid their brother farewell and Shade felt the same sadness, even if he had not known the newborn sylvari.

“It will not take long.”, Shade calmed the mentor. “I just need to know if there are any bite marks anywhere on the body at all.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “I prepared the body.”, she murmured in a low voice. “There ere various bite marks on his arms and legs, now that you mention it.”

Shade suppressed a shudder. To be bitten and poisoned and then to die at the threshold of an asura crew... And they had even tried to hide the fact there was a cavern with spiders beyond by blaming it on a gone rogue golem that was not even functional.

Was the cave with the spiders a blunder they desperately wanted to cover up and forget? Or to attain access to all that was lost again?

“Thank you.”, Shade said. “I am sorry for your loss. He will be missed.”

The mentor gave a weak nod, her eyes lingered on the pod that gave a soft, yellow gleam. “He was so young...”, she murmured, her eyes suddenly distant.

Shade squeezed her shoulder gently in a gesture of empathy and then made his way down from the chamber, slowly descending the spirals toward the cells. Canach had gone on ahead, insisted that he was much better at attaining information from experience.

Shade had not asked what kind of experience. He was glad he did not have to deal with those arrogant, no-good asura that sat somewhere in the prisons below.

The crazed spiders must have poisoned the sylvari, inflicted him with some of the bloodstone's influence. It explained how the sylvari had managed to get away and move so far, even though he should have been immobilized and incapacitated. The bloodstone must have negated the venom for a while until he had collapsed, right in front of the asura who did not notice a sylvari passing through their well illuminated tunnels.

Shade began to believe that Todd may actually not have known the sylvari were missing, that perhaps there was another entrance and the sylvari had stumbled across them by chance. Which meant that the cavern of the spiders had another passage that needed to be discovered.

He could see Canach, standing rather relaxed with his cold, expressionless face, head titled slightly to the side. “The golems seemed to be in a rather unfuctional state.”, Canach was saying when Shade rounded the corner. Todd was standing behind a bar of woven plants, vines and ferns that might have given the idle onlooker the impression the could not possibly hold anyone, yet Shade had never seen anyone every escape. “And we found your little spider-infested lab. Care to take point?”

“I know nothing of a lab.”, Todd retorted and had his arms folded in front of his chest. “As I have told your Commander,” he gave Shade a glaring look as he approached, “we were simply observing the environmental singularities that are prone to the Grove and Caldeon Forest.”

“With non-functioning equipment?”, Canach asked.

“Of course we took the data cores, crystals and power cells with us you insufferable twig!”, the Asura fumed. “We do not leave our things behind so anyone can stumble across it!”

“Since you have no use for them right now, I'll gladly take them off your hands.” Canach reached out his hand and waited patiently. Todd bristled and looked outraged.

“We are not handing over our research!”, he squeaked. “When the representative from Rata Sum arrives we will be sure to mention the treatment we have received!”

“Hum.”, Canach made. “For a second I was sure you were threatening us.” His eyes were cold, dark orbs that fixated the asura and Todd looked taken-aback, back paddled slightly.

“Ah, no, of course not.”, Todd said and his voice was small.

“We have no interest in your research.”, Shade cut in. “We want to check the sensors for anything the golems or the security system might have picked up concerning the still missing sylvari.”

“It is not for me to decide to hand them over.”, Todd grumbled and for the first time, Shade actually believed him. The asura was afraid of someone – possibly the person who had sent the crew in the first place – even more than the jurisdiction of the Grove.

“Indeed.”, Canach shrugged. “Your belongings are hereby confiscated under the heralds authority.”

“What?”, Todd squeaked.

The guards opened the cell door and began to collect everything the asura had on them, even though they parted with it only with muttered curses and grumbling.

When the door closed again, the guards had collected blue data crystals, power cells and a couple of data pads.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”, Canach chirped and opened a small pouch and all items disappeared inside. He held one data pad in his hand as he made his way past Shade, humming a cheerful tune.

Shade followed him and cast Todd another glance over his shoulder, could see that the asura was far from happy, but he did not feel sorry for the asura at all. He had still lied and Shade was sure he knew more than he lead on.

“Here.”, Canach thrust a data pad in his hand. “If I go through these alone, I will never find anything.”

“We could consult Taimi, see what she's found out.”, Shade suggested and scanned over the various documents, scales and diagrams. It all looked very scientific, just as he was used from Taimi, but nothing seemed to be indicating to any sensor readings in the cave at all.

The data was about information _outside_ the cave, which meant there were some sensors outside they would have to find later, but as of right now that had a very low priority.

“Taimi, this is the commander.”, Shade said and the communicator buzzed to live. For a few seconds there was only static, then Taimi's voice chirped,

“Oh, holla there, Commander.” She seemed cheerful enough, hopefully with good news.

“Have you found anything?”, Shade asked.

“No, nothing. The guy's name is Todd, right? There's a big commotion going through the college of statistics, something about a massive misunderstanding, but everyone's intend on correcting it and keeping it cool. There's no official statement yet, but I imagine that will happen only after they've talked to the Pale Tree and you.”

“Who does Todd work for?”, Shade asked.

“He doesn't work for anybody.”, Taimi said and he could hear her frown. “He's a big figure in the college, apparently. Not that I've heard of him, but then again everyone is competing. He's got his own lab and crew and the excursion to Caledon Forest started only a few days back.”

“That doesn't make sense.”, Shade grumbled and Canach was watching him, saw the lines on Shade's face deepen into a frown. “If Todd is here, presumably to investigate flaura and to build a tunnel, why would he not tell anyone? And why was he afraid of us getting the crystals? Just what is he hiding?”

“You got the data crystals?”, Taimi beamed from the other side of the communicator.

“And data-pads, as well as power cells.”, Canach mentioned. “We will get back to the cave and test them on the devices there, and there's the large spider-cave we are eager to revisit.”

“A large spider cave?”

“The sylvari we found dead lay in front of a holographic barrier.”, Shade explained. “The body had bite marks and signs of bloodstone corruption on it. There are also abandoned terminals and devices of asuran origin, but the spiders are acting kind of possessively.”

“Ugh, sounds like my kind of place.”, Taimi shuddered. “Dark, big and just perfect for my arachnophobia. Glad to leave it to you two.”

“There's also blighted pods.”, Shade added. “It...looks like someone experimented with the blighting pods from Mordremoth and the bloodstone.”

“That doesn't sound good.” Taimi was lost in thought, walking up and down. “The blighting pods were only a measure to keep prisoners and to turn them mordrem, no? Without Mordremoth, what would be the point?”

“Maybe as a more biological and plant-based approach at containment fluid?”, Canach guessed. “In any case, whoever made these experiments is no longer there and abandoned the place.”

“Those blighting pods were made to hold sylvari.”, Shade insisted. “We lost so many of our kin during Mordremoth's attack. Who would have noticed a few more going missing back then?”

Canach's face was emotionsless, “It could be. But even if it was, we can not know. Our priority it to see what we can get from the devices and find the missing sylvari.”

“Isn't councillor Ludo already in the Grove?”, Taimi asked. “She was on her way, last I heard. She's the Dean of the College of Statistics.”

Shade and Canach exchanged a glance. “Not that I have heard.”, Shade answered. “But perhaps we have not been informed yet.”

“Then we should head to Mother.”, Shade said.

“Be careful, Commander.”, Taimi said. “This smells beyond fishy.”

“I will.”, Shade agreed and the communicator turned off.

  
  


 


	5. Grasping Weeds

“That is completely absurd.”, councillor Ludo said outraged. “Todd is a valued member of the College and I can assure you that despite his mishap to affiliate with you on his intentions, it is not necessary to contain him and his crew like criminals.”

“I am sorry for the precautionary measures that had to be taken. There are a few loose strings we are currently investigating and- ah, Commander. Care to shed some light on the situation?” The warden smiled at him, behind him stood the Avatar of the Pale Tree, a knowing, broad smile on her face.

Shade approached and mustered the councillor, noticed how she looked unpleased and her hands folded in front of her chest, her eyes glaring up at him. “Well?”, she demanded.

“A sylvari was found dead.”, Shade reminded her. “In a complex Todd's crew was working in. I am sure you agree it was logical to detain them until evidence of their innocence was found.”

“And?” She seemed really impatient.

“We have only recently been able to recover power cells to check the security system, but have not come to test them yet. You've reacted in such a quick manner, it left us very little time.” Shade hinted at the fact that the problem seemed to be urgent for the asura, but the Councilour had none of it.

“Have you found evidence or not?”

“There is no evidence for either their guilt nor their innocence.”, Shade reported.

“There you have it.”, the councillor said and raised her hands into the air. “I ask that you release the crew and we can forgot this unfortunate misunderstanding.”

The Pale Tree glanced at Shade and under the scrutiny of the Mother, he felt his skin growing hot. It took all his willpower to meet her eyes and he saw the infinite wisdom in her eyes then. She was urging him to make a decision and smiled at him encouragingly.

“I would agree to give them over to your custody, sicne the charges are not yet dismissed.”, Shade said after a short pause and his eyes met those of the councillor. “We will, however, keep all the data crystals, data pads, power cells and other items that hold information about our turf that has been acquired in such a disputable fashion.”

The asura took a deep breath, but was interrupted before she could answer.

“No.”, a male asuran voice cut in and Shade turned his head, saw another asura trot toward him, eyes squinted coolly. “That information is our property, we will not willingly part from it.”

“Councillor Yahk, what is the meaning of this?”, councillor Ludo exclaimed.

The asura gave Ludo a cold stare and then ignored her. He fixed Shade with his stare and he felt something cold run over his spine. “Todd and his crew are innocent. The information they have attained contains nothing that would compromise the sylvari, on that you have my word.”

“Would you care if we checked for ourselves?”, Canach replied coolly.

“I would. I imagine you would, too. The information is useless to you, and if I have been informed correctly, you are still in search for a sylvari, and I imagine time if of the essence. So tell me, why waste your time and effort on this data when you have a sylvari to find?”

“The experiments conducted on our turf hold sensitive information about our environment, or so Todd had told me.”, Shade said. “The information was attained without our knowledge and permission and as such, you have no right to it.”

The councillor shrugged. “You are free to skim the data, if you like. If I may, I request that we affiliate in this matter so it can be resolved and Todd's excursion can continue in a more official manner, as it should have.”

Shade did not understand. Why did the asura offer them the data, spoke as if he knew what was on it and was not, and pressured them about the sylvari? It seemed he wanted Shade to focus on something else, to press for time in order to get away with the data.

Yet, so far as Shade had seen, and granted it had only seen a fraction, there was nothing useful on the data pads, yet the power cells could prove useful if they could turn on the devices in the cave.

“I would welcome the chance to collaborate on this.”, Shade agreed. “We shall keep the data and Todd and his crew are free to review it – with scientists of our own.”

“I am glad we agree, Commander.”, the councillor smiled. “I take it all the suspicion has been cleared, then? I would hate for this to be a thorn in our inter-racial relationship.”

“We are still investigating the death of the sylvari.”, Shade reminded him. “And the tunnels between Caledon Forest and Metrica Province are still a mystery to us.”

“Tunnels?”, Councillor Yahk raised his eyebrow. “What tunnels?”

“That is why _I_ am here.”, Councillor Ludo grumbled and looked utterly displeased that Councillor Yahk had taken the lead. “We discovered the tunnels by coincidence, and Todd was to investigate them, its occurrence and its stability. He must have gotten carried away.”

“So you are telling me that nobody truly knows what Todd was up to?”, Shade asked and switched from one Councillor to the other and both had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. 

“I am sure science was all he had in mind, Commander.”, Councillor Ludo replied. “When he realized where the tunnels lead he must have seen an opportunity and grasped it. Everything else turned out to be a misunderstanding.”

This did not explain anything about the cave, the spiders, the bloodstone, the blighting pods. Everything seemed to point in the direction Canach had indicated: That the cave was a thing of the past and that it had been abandoned. That the sylvari must have stumbled across a cave entrance, encountered the spiders and died to his wounds.

But who was responsible for the devices in the cave? Who had experimented like that? And had they created the tunnels in the first place? 

Everyone was waiting for him to make a decision and he sighed. “My decision stands. Todd will be given over to the asuran custody in our goodwill, and we will continue our investigations. The data acquired on our turf will be reviewed by scientists of our own and open to be revisited by Todd if he wishes to continue with his crew.”

“Thank you, Commander.”, councillor Ludo said and bowed her head. For once, the grim lines had relaxed and she looked pleased. “I am glad you could be reasoned with.”

The two asura left and Shade felt his bark prickle. Somehow he was sure he had just made a very, very big mistake and he sighed, scratched his neck with his hand. He wished someone else would make the decision, that Trahearne was here and would help him get through this, but when he turned he saw Canach, the Pale Tree and the warden, all looking very pleased. 

Trahearne was gone, Shade told himself, could see the shadow of the sylvari standing right next to the Pale Tree where he had always stood, could see his ghost smiling at him and shook his head. 

“Alright, Canach and I will venture into the cave and continue our investigations. Meanwhile we should have a team review these data crystals and pads.”

“It will be done.”, the Pale Tree said and under her warm gaze and loving smile, Shade felt self-conscious and reprehensible. But she did not scold him, she never did. She trusted his judgement fully and Shade wondered how he had earned his Mother's trust like this. 

He bowed his head politely and exited the chamber, Canach right behind him.

“Something's on your mind.”, Canach noticed as the small seed capsule drifted toward the ground and they stepped out. 

“Who made those tunnels? They are clearly of asuran make, yet who would have had the time or energy to spare to make them, especially during Mordremoth's attacks?”, Shade pondered aloud. “I can only think of one group of asura who care very little about morals nor any code. One group that makes unethical experiements and sometimes, even the Council turns a blind eye.”

“The inquest.”, Canach concluded. “But this does not help us. Knowing who made the tunnels and who left experiments there brings us no closer to finding our sylvari.”

“There has to be another passage that leads to the chamber with the spiders.”, Shade said. “The two were together when they split from the group to investigate a noise. So either the female sylvari was less fortunate with the spiders, or she is in the tunnels, somewhere.”

“Then we have a lead.”, Canach said and placed atop his shoulder, bringing him from his thoughts. “Take a deep breath. We'll find the sylvari.”

“I know we will.”, Shade replied and he let his head drop. “Something tells me she will not be alive when we do.”

  
  


 


	6. Tangled

“Here we go again.”, Canach grumbled and held up his torch. They could hear the skittering of the spiders in the chamber beyond. There was a group of sylvari with them to help clear the passage and investigate the chamber, but Shade felt anxious still.

“Be careful not to get to close.”, Shade instructed. Stay close together and light it up. Let's go.”

They moved forward, torches swinging at the spiderwebs, burning them away. The spiders scurried away at first, until they became pushed back and were determined to defend themselves. With loud hisses and shrieks they began to attack and Shade tried to cast a wall of fire to illuminate the cavern, but no matter how hard he threw his fireballs into the air, he could still not see the ceiling.

There was something utterly disturbing about that fact, especially the more spiders they slew, the more Shade felt watched from above, as though something lurked there and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

A loud screech announced that the last spider they could see died and Shade glanced around. Everyone held their torches up and nobody was injured, eyes searching for more enemies that might jump them from the sides or above.

“Don't burn the webs just yet.”, Shade instructed. “If the sylvari was captured, then she will be cacooned.”

“Perhaps I should try to climb up there.”, Canach had his neck craned, eyes staring into the darkness above them. Shade's chest tightened. There was no way he would Canach climb up there.

“No.”, Shade quickly said, so quickly in fact that Canach turned his head and their eyes met. “I mean..:”, Shade tried. “We have no vision up there. I could try to put torches into the webs and light them up for us.”

“ _You_ want to climb up there?”, Canach said disbelievingly.

“Is that worth the risk?”, a sylvari cut in. “If the sylvari was captured and even if she is up there, the chances of her being alive are slim, if close to none.”

“these consoles might power up with the power cells.”, another sylvari noticed.

“And perhaps that will even lighten up some of these crystals.”, Shade nodded. “Alright, try to get them to work. You there, “ he pointed toward three sylvari that stood a little tenser when he addressed them, “Search for another passage. Stay close to the walls, and always watch your backs. Stay in eyesight.”

They nodded and slowly headed off. Shade stared up toward the ceiling again. Something was moving in the shadows and he guessed some spiders were alive still, but the darkness made him imagine all kinds of horrors.

He was not the kind to scare easily, yet darkness just crept under his skin, under his bark, into his flesh and terrified him.

Eyes glinted in the firelight from above and he took a deep breath, noticed once more how thick and humid the air was. There was a buzz behind him and he turned around.

The sylvari woman had placed in the power cell into a compartment beneath the panel and it flickered to life. “Ah, it works.”, she exclaimed and smiled at Shade.

Their eyes met and he saw her face fall and lifted his eyes over his head. A spider, thick and large, hung directly above him, legs extended wide to the side, pincers opened wide at the side of his head. He ducked and heard the pincers snap shut, willed his heart to calm down.

“Commander!”, a voice yelled and the spider screeched, fell from the ceiling down atop of him. The weight crashed onto him, pressed him to the ground and the air was knocked from his lungs.

A second of panic filled him and he tried to make a grab for his dagger when the massive pincers were right over his face, and he grabbed them with his hands, held them far apart with all his strength.

The spider's jaw opened and he saw sharp, tiny teeth, heard it screeching in a painfully high tone. It's eyes were completely red, looked almost bloodshot and he strained to keep the pincers away from him, felt the strength fade from him as his body struggled for air.

He saw the flash of something bright beside his head and then a sword struck into the side of the creatures head. Shade did not recognize the blade and heard Canach yell,

“Not the head, idiot!”

The spider shuddered and its body convulsed and Shade felt someone grab his arms, pull him from underneath before the body crashed into the ground with a loud thud. He heaved a heavy breath, stared a bit dazed at the creature and up at the sylvari that had struck the spider down and nearly killed him with it, but he could not scold the warrior for reacting the way he had.

Canach, however, could and did. He pulled Shade to his feet with ease, held his arm in a vice grip and glared at the sylvari that took an uncertain step back under Canach's glare. “Think before you strike!”, the warrior scowled. “You nearly got the Commander killed with the absence of your brain.”

The sylvari sputtered at the insult and Shade lifted his hand pacifily. “I am to blame.”, he said quickly. “I should have been more careful.” The grip on his arm tightened just the slightest and he saw that Canach wanted to respond, but bit it back.

“I am sorry, Commander.”, the Valiant murmured and Shade smiled at him weakly.

“Do not worry yourself. I am well, thanks to both your interference. Let us stay together and see if we can turn on these crystals.”

The female sylvari had gone back to work the console as soon as the Commander had been saved and was working the panel with a frown. “There should be...”, she murmured and when her fingers glided over a small array of lines, there was a hum in the air and everywhere around them light began to flicker from the crystals, illuminating the cave in artificial light.

Shade suppressed a shudder. The cave was filled with long arrays of Blighting Pods that decorated the walls, all covered deeply beneath spider webs. There were sets of Bloodstone set beside each pod, its read corruption showing in the thin lines that crossed over the outer surface of the pods.

As he craned his neck he saw that high above them, way higher than he could possibly throw, were multiple, massive layers of spider webs, small, oval cocoons resting in between. And at the very top of the layers, painted as just a dark shadow against the light, rested what Shade thought must be a massive spider queen.

The remaining spiders fled the light, hid behind crevices and underneath thick spiderwebs. The queen, however, stirred and as the massive legs moved, all the spider webs around them began to shudder and stir.

“Do you think the sylvari is up there?”, the female asked fearfully and Shade looked over the caccoons.

“It...could be.”, he said and gulped. The queen moved over the layers of webs, began to climb lower and around, the shadow growing more distinct. They watched breathlessly as the massive monster emerged, and Shade felt himself thrown back in his memories when he saw that it looked like a mixture of a mordrem and a spider.

It had the colour and sharp appendixes as a mordrem, the large, round body of a spider and multiple sets of eyes that glittered in the light. The pincers alone were as large as a sylvari, sharp and thick and deadly.

“What is _that_?”, a sylvari asked.

“A mixture between a mordrem and a spider.”, Canach supplied. “And here I had wished those days lay behind me.”

A sylvari became a mordrem under Mordremoth's influence, that's what the Blighting pods had been for. And somehow that knowledge had been manipulated enough to alter the appearance of the spider, creating the monster that now watched them from above, pincers moving with a clacking noise.

“We have to take it down.”, Shade said. “We can not leave it here for unwary to stumble across.”

“And do you have an idea on how to take it down?”, Canach asked. “That shell looks pretty thick and it's still a few feet in the air.”

Shade took a deep breath and channelled some fire into his hand, leaned his arm back and threw the fireball at the creature. The shot did not necessarily miss. Rather, it was not high enough and it flickered and died in the air as it cascaded down toward the ground.

“Need me to lend you my sword arm?”, Canach jested and Shade rolled his eyes.

“I think we only have to attract its attention, lure it down here. If I can agitate it enough-”

Canach grabbed a stone from the ground, leaned his arm back and threw it high in the air. It made a whooshing sound and clacked against the creatures outer shall with a thwack. The creature hissed at them and when Shade gave him a look, he just shrugged.

There were no archers among them as they had been sure to battle spiders in close quarters. They could continue throwing stones at it, if they had strong enough arms much unlike Shade, but the creature stirred again and made their planning a little easier.

There was a small pause, then it fell. “Out of the way!”, Shade yelled and they all scurried to the sides. The creature was so massive neither of them made it out of range in time and it landed with an earth shuddering crash.

Its body bounced and the mordrem legs swiftly moved over the ground, skittered and turned the massive body around, its eyes searching fro a victim.

Shade caught himself from stumbling and was about to charge beneath when Canach bet him to it. The warrior charged forward and cast his sword into the creatures belly, eliciting a screech that nearly blew out their ear-drums.

Shade blinked and covered his ears, felt his head ringing from the tone and a massive leg collided with his body, sent him onto the floor and into a sheet of spiderwebs that clung to his robe and skin. His head was swimming and he yanked at his arms, tried to rip himself free as he watched Canach making multiple cuts into the creature, brown fluid dripping from his sword onto the ground.

The creature was turning wildly, the ground shook with its steps and Shade yanked once more, but found himself stuck. He engulfed his hands in flame and burned away a portion of the spider web, was about to cut his body free when a leg from a spider pushed him down into the webs.

He saw a smaller spider, one that had remained, hovering right above him, pincers clicking dangerously and he withered underneath it, managed to grab beneath its neck with his free hand and set its skin aflame.

The small spider screeched and was turning furiously, running around wildly and its legs pounded against the ground. One missed Shade's head by an inch and he desperately tried to cut himself free, saw from the corner of his eyes that the massive Queen was _still_ standing and that more smaller spiders had come to defend her.

Two spiders appeared on his sides and his heart beat loudly in his chest in panic and he sent a lightning bolt at one of them that missed and crashed against the wall of stone, sending splinters everywhere.

The spider scurried towards him on its legs and Shade tried to scramble backward, but his robe was still stuck and he extended his hand, cut at the creature with a lightning whip to keep it at bay. It made a step back and hissed at him, showing wide, sharp teeth. From its pincers dripped poison to the ground in long, thin strands.

The lightning cut parts of the spider webs around him, giving him more room to move and as he made to stand, the second spider lunged at him. He could not lunge beneath and instead made a step back, felt his boots tangle in the webs once more and stumbled backwards, lashing out with the lightning whip to keep the spider away.

The lightning struck the creature across its face and it screeched as it landed a few inches in front of him, shacking and retreating backwards where it stepped beneath the Queen and a massive leg squashed it with a disgusting, squishy sound.

Shade saw the other spider from the corner ofh is eyes, tried to find his balance and failed. He fell backwards, felt his whole body bounce against a sheet of spiderwebs and something sharp struck into his back.

He cried out as white pain shot through him and for a second he thought a spider had bit him, but noticed through his blurry vision that there was no spider beside him. He lifted his hand even though pain shot up his back and summoned the lightning whip in a desperate attempt to cut himself free, saw the lightning sparkle in his hand and then die away.

His breath was stuck in his throat when he realized that he could not cast, that he could not summon any element and panic set in when a spider moved closer on its legs eagerly, pincers wide and ready to strike.

Shade had never felt such panic in his life before. He could only watch with his eyes wide as the spider approached and screamed, “Canach!”

The spider reached him and he lifted his hand, pushed against its body to keep it away, but he was not strong enough. The pincers clicked, opened wide and it surged forward, bored them deep into Shade's waist and he gasped at the pain.

For a second everything seemed to halt and be still, then he felt the pincers tug free and his head swam, the bite felt searing hot in his bark and he opened his mouth, but no word would come out. The spider blurred in front of his eyes, was only a dark shadow and then his eyes drifted shut.

  


 


	7. Repercussion

Canach charged past Shade underneath the massive Queen, sunk his blade deep into her belly. The screech tore at his ear, but he only grimaced and grit his teeth, forced his blade even deeper.

The body above him moved and he pulled his sword free, cut at a leg that passed over his head. The other sylvari were helping in his attempt to wear the queen down and he slashed over his head, made deep, grievous cuts into the weak flesh.

The creatures blood dripped from his blade onto the floor in a large splat and it screamed furiously, turned from one side to the other, but Canach remained right beneath, cut at her wherever his blade could reach. The creature made a step back, pincers opened wide to snap at him but he ducked beneath and sunk his blade deep beneath the creature's shin. He slammed his whole body against the hilt of his sword, heard the pincers clicking uselessly and felt the blood dripping onto his armour.

His blade shuddered when the creatures life slowly drained and Canach stepped away and pulled out his sword, pushed his blade into the side of the monsters head. For a second he thought he saw its eyes fix on him, then they were empty, dark orbs of glass and the body slammed to the ground.

Canach took a deep breath, felt triumphant and then-

“Canach!”, the scream rippled over the sounds around him and made his insides freeze. He whirled his head around in search for Shade and caught sight of him, trapped and covered in spiderwebs and a spider right over him. His feet moved before he could even command them to and his eyes caught on the sap that was flowing freely from Shade's back and felt his chest tighten, but he could only watch as Shade failed to push the spider away and the pincers sunk into Shade's waist. Shade's pained cry was like a splinter in his soul.

He let out a cry and jumped into the creatures side, pushed it away with all the force he could muster. The spider flew to the side onto its back, legs moving helplessly in the air and Canach lifted his sword, made one, powerful thrust that reached deep into the creatures flesh before the legs flexed and the body was still.

Immediately he turned toward Shade, knelt down beside him and grasped his shoulders with rising panic. He could still hear sounds of fighting somewhere behind him, but they were faint and all of them involved the screeches and wails of the spiders that Canach could care less about.

The elementalist was completely limp in his arms, neck overextended as he lifted him into the air and cut him free from the webs. He rested Shade's head against his chest and felt the sap from Shades wounds on his hands, saw a sharp bloodstone shard embedded deep in his back.

Canach made sure there remained no more attackers with a glance around him before he sheathed his weapon and clasped the shield onto his back, lifted Shade into his arms. A part of him was fearful and he cursed himself inwardly that he had no reacted sooner, had not noticed Shade's absence in the battle. He had been too preoccupied and now....

As he walked past the other sylvari toward the passage with hurried steps he received worried glances and stares. “The Commander...is he alright?”, a voice asked behind him, but Canach did not loose any time to answer that particular question, especially because he could not.

He gripped Shade's shoulder tightly.  _Hold on,_ Canach thought.  _Hold on._

  
  


When Shade opened his eyes he felt hazy. Everything was so bright above him, gleaming and sparkling. He felt soothing waves caress his skin and closed his eyes again. It was comfortable and warm. It felt like the time just before he had emerged from the pod beneath the Pale Tree.

But he felt that, even after many minutes of drifting in the water, he could not sleep, so he opened his eyes once more. He could see the lights more clearly over his head now, realized that he was in one of the healing chambers in the Grove.

His body was floating in warm water that smelled just faintly of roses and Shade stirred, flexed his fingers and toes, slowly began to sit up. There was soft ground right beneath him and as he sat, the water covered parts of his legs and reached up to his hips.

Droplets cascaded down his chest and he shivered in the cold, his eyes glancing to the side. A female sylvari greeted him with a smile. “Commander, how are you feeling?”

“Tattered and...exhausted.”, he answered honestly and sighed. “What happened?”

“A bloodstone crazed spider bit you, or so I was told.”, the sylvari woman replied. “Your companion brought you to me immediately and I could prevent further harm. That however means you should still rest.”

“Canach.”, Shade mumbled. “Where is he?”

“The second-born refused to leave, so I offered him to wait outside as not to interrupt your rest.”, the sylvari explained. “You are, of course, free to go. But I advise you to take it easy. The poison incapacitated you for a day and your body will need time to adjust.”

_A whole day_ , Shade thought bitterly. “Thank you for your help.”, Shade said and slowly made to stand, his head still dizzy. He was covered in a plant-like robe that had grown over his bark, covering his legs and parts of his stomach. 

She made an attempt to help him stand, but he gestured her with a wave of his hand that it was alright. He took a deep breath and pulled the ferns aside that made the entrance and shivered in the air.

As soon as he stepped out Canach turned toward him, hands folded tightly in front of his chest. His face was expressionless and Shade wondered what that meant. Shame curled in his belly, shame that he could not even defend himself against a simple spider, that he had discarded the bloodstones in the cave as a possible fatal counter to his magic.

He should have been more careful and under Canach's dark eyes he dropped his gaze. “I- I'm sorry.”, Shade murmured, his speech still slightly slurred. His head felt light and fuzzy and he must be partially nectared to negate the pain.

Canach's eyes wandered over his body, studied him closely, but even though part of him was angry at himself, he could not let it out on Shade. He stepped closer and brought his arms around him, felt his bark still slightly wet and Shade hugged him back, rested his head against his chest.

“How are you feeling?”, Canach murmured into Shade's foliage.

“Tired.”

“I'll take you home.”, Canach offered and Shade nodded, but did not want to break apart just yet. The arms around him pulled him in more tightly and he sighed contently at the warmth of Canach's body that engulfed him. There was a faint throb from his lower back where the shard had stabbed into his flesh and he knew once the effect of the nectar wore out, he would definitely feel it. “Come on.”, Canach urged after a few seconds. “You need to rest.”

“'Tis nice here.”, Shade slurred and nuzzled his cheek against Canach's neck. There was a deep, vibrating chuckle in the warrior's chest.

“If you behave, I might even stay.”

“I'm behaving.”, Shade protested when Canach pulled away, with a little more force, but Shade managed to keep a hold of his hand.

“She might have overdone it with the nectar.”, Canach grumbled more to himself and Shade smiled up at him. It did little to offer a counter-argument. Quite the contrary, actually. Canach was even more convinced that it was perhaps for the best if he dropped Shade off and waited for the effect to wear off. As amusing as it was to watch any sylvari in a nectared state, Canach wanted Shade to avoid doing anything stupid. 

Like he did right now. Canach barely had time to stop Shade from plucking a flower from the other side of the fence and pulled him back with a gentle yet firm tug.

Shade's laughter bubbled from his chest when he fell against Canach's chest and he craned his neck, grinned up at him stupidly. He then stood on his toes and planted a soft kiss on Canach's neck that made his skin burn hot.

Shade was not the one for public admissions of affections. He was usually shy and flustered, yet right now all of the shame he usually felt seemed non-existant. When he lifted his arms to bring them around Canach's neck the warrior gripped them and slowly lowered them down again. Shade pouted like a small child.

“I know you're angry with me.”, he mumbled and did not meet his eyes. “I said I am sorry and...I really am.”

Canach's heart beat harshly in his chest. He heard an echo of Shade's scream for help and his insides contracted uncomfortably at the memory. “I am not angry at you.” Shade lifted his head and Canach could see his dilated pupils, another sign that he was not entirely himself. “I simply want to keep you from doing something you regret. You're nectared, if you haven't noticed.”

“But you're angry, I can tell.”; Shade insisted. “You are wearing that scowl of yours.”

“I believe that is just my face.”, Canach replied dryly.

Shade giggled at that. “You might be right.”

“Come on, it's not far. You can sleep and rest. Everything and everyone else can wait.” He put a hand on the small of Shade's back, mindful of the injury that was already covered in light tendrils that would close the wound and harden into bark.

Shade did not resist and looked onto the ground with a melancholic stare. “Did we find her?”, he asked.

There would have been a variety of less difficult topics that Canach could have evaded to, yet he would not keep the truth from Shade. “The others found a female sylvari body that had started to decompose in one of the cocoons.”

Shade shook his head. “How terrifying that must have been.” He shuddered at his own memory, could see the spider in front of him vividly as he desperately tried to keep it away, but his body was stuck, his magic would not work, the pain had throbbed in his back and the spider had struck him.

He should have engulfed himself in a fire aura, or lightning, then none of this would have happened. Or conjured a weapon, even though it was hard to lift with one hand. He should have done  _anything else_ than be entirely helpless. 

Even though his head was still clouded and hazy, the shame of his failure lay miserably in his mind. To have battled two Elder Dragons and a God and to fail at something so simple as a spider... It was degrading.

The bloodstone had been the fatal blow. It had stuck in his flesh, had drained his magic from within, rendered him useless.

“Helpless and weak.”, Shade mumbled, more to himself. The sylvari had been newborn, had just entered the world only to die alone and frightened. And all the other cacoons... Shade wondered briefly if those were other sylvari as well. Wanderers and adventurers that had strayed too far and carelessly.

Like him.

“There is no point in beating yourself down.”, Canach cut in and interrupted his spiral of self-inflicted misery. 

“I know.”, Shade replied with an even tone. He knew it was the nectar's fault, that he would usually not dwell on this as long as he did now.

They finally reached the Dreamer's Terrace and Canach guided him up the spiral, lead him toward his woven bed of plants and ferns. Shade sighed as his body sunk into the familiar feeling cushioning his back and winced when he lay on the wound, tried to adjust his position on his side.

Canach watched and waited until Shade lay still. “Just rest.”, he told the sylvari and Shade blinked at him.

“Won't you stay?”

It was a tempting invitation, but Canach shook his head. “No, I won't be going far. Let me know if you need anything.”

He had barely turned and made a step when Shade supplicated, “Please?” He turned his head, saw that Shade's green eyes were tracking his every movement. He debated it in his mind for barely a second before he realized that there really was no reason not to, so long as Shade rested.

So he made his way to the bed slowly and Shade's eyes followed him eagerly. “If you behave and rest.”, Canach said and Shade nodded. Canach removed only his boots and chest-piece before he laid down beside Shade onto his back, cast an arm around Shade's shoulders and held him close to him as the elementalist rested his head on his chest.

Shade nuzzled his cheek against him and sighed contently before he closed his eyes. Canach began to draw idle circles over his back and barely three minutes later, Shade was fast asleep.

  
  


 


	8. The Lions Den

“Commander, this is Taimi.”, a voice broke through Canach's slumber and he blinked into the darkness. Shades clothing lay neatly folded in his backpack, the communicator with it. He cast a quick glance at Shade, but the sylvari was fast asleep.

“Commander?”, Taimi's voice came again and Canach reached out with his hand toward Shade's backpack that lay just beside the bed, pulled it up close toward him.

“This is Canach.”, he grumbled as lowly as he could.

“Canach?” There was genuine surprise in her voice. “Ah, uh. Where is the Commander?”

“Preoccupied, and I'd appreciate it if you kept your voice down.”

“Oooooh.”, Taimi made. “Of course.” Her voice was a whisper now and Shade shifted slightly in his sleep, but did not wake. “I just heard that Councilor Yahk was in the Grove, and since I don't know how well you know how we Asura operate, I wanted to shed some light on the situation.”

“Enlighten me.”, Canach replied dryly.

“Councilor Yahk is the only inquest member on the council. Wherever his ears are, there's bound to be trouble, so I got curious and found something interesting. During our time Lazarus, aka Balthazar aka now-dead-god the inquest amassed a great amount of bloodstone from Bloodstone Fen to experiment on it. When they discovered its volatile properties and its negative affects, they scrambled the project.”

“And left it in the border underneath all that stone between Metrica Province and Caledon Forest.”, Canach surmised. Shade shifted again and Canach drew soothing, calming circles on the elementalists back, felt him relax and drift from his light sleep into deep slumber.

“Yes, but that is not all. The council was involved, even though they tend to turn a blind eye when the inquest have their fingers where they do not belong, which means it must have been something bigger than simply the properties of bloodstone.”

“Like experimenting on sylvari.”

“I assume as much.”, Taimi muttered from the other side of the communicator. “But it could also have been asura. Whatever it was, it certainly was not the bloodstone. I bet the inquest would kill to study that stuff, volatile or not.”

“I'll inform the Commander about your call.”, Canach said. “Canach out.”

The communicator buzzed and then everything was quiet again. Shade's breathing was rhythmic and steady and Canach was glad he was resting, pulled him a little closer. Shade's cheek nuzzled against him, warm and soft and Canach smiled. He could get used to this, he thought to himself and closed his eyes once more.

  
  


Shade opened his eyes only reluctantly, felt warm and comfortable and it took him a few seconds to realize where he was, how he had gotten here and what events preceeded his rest. He felt Canach's warm chest right beneath his cheek and ear moving rhythmically as he breathed, but Shade noticed that the warrior was no longer asleep.

“How are you?”, Canach asked and Shade moved his head, craned his neck so he could look at him. Canach's dark eyes were watching him and he felt the warriors hand on his back, holding him securely in place.

Shade yawned and nuzzled his head back onto Canach's chest, let his scent wash into his nostrils. “Better.”, he mumbled and rested his hand on Canach's stomach, began to follow the lines of his bark with his fingertips.

He wanted this moment of warmth and comfort to last, to forget for just a few more minutes that there was still so much to do, that there still remained the mystery of the caves.

Canach's hand on his back moved and the warrior made an attempt to sit up, so Shade gave him space and winced at the pain that shot through his back. The nectar was no longer clouding his mind and the wound throbbed permanently, sending small pulses through his bark.

A hand on his shoulder pushed him gently back down on his side and he looked up at Canach in confusion. “You need to rest.”, he said and Shade frowned.

“I can't just lie in bed all day. The cave-”

“Can wait.”, Canach said in a final tone. “Your wound is barely a two days old. It will take one, if not two weeks to heal and any stress upon it will slow the process down.” He sat at the side of the bed and pulled his boots over his feet, put on his chest-piece. When he glanced back Shade was watching him with rueful eyes.

It was hard for him to say no to that face, but he recalled Shade's scream, how helpless he had been. He would not endanger him needlessly. He stood and adjusted his armour one last time.

“I won't be gone long. I'll talk to the asura and uncover what I can about the lab we found. Surely the other sylvari have made some progress as well.” When he noticed that Shade had averted his eyes and was glaring at the blanket he sighed and knelt on the bed, felt the woven ferns sink in at his weight and he leaned forward, planted a soft kiss on Shade's forehead.

Shade closed his eyes at the feeling, warm and soft and tender on his skin and felt the weight leave form the bed, Canach's scent drifting away and with him the warmth.

“Take care.”, Shade mumbled and heard Canach's boots over the floor, then move down the spiral and through the door. It shut behind him and silence settled over the Dreamer's Terrace, the place that was his home, yet without Canach here it suddenly felt larger and constricting at the same time.

Despite the pain in his back Shade sat up and made a grab for his backpack. The communicator inside buzzed at the sudden movement and Shade wondered if maybe at least Taimi had something for him.

“Taimi, this is the Commander, come in.”

There was a cracking on the other line and then he heard Taimi's voice slightly muffled, as thought she was munchin on something. “Oh, Commander.”, she chirped. “Did you sleep well?”

Shade blinked at that. “Ah, yes. How did you know I was sleeping?”

The asura audibly gulped. “I tried to reach you and Canach took the line. He didn't tell you?”

“What did you tell him?”, Shade asked and felt something cold coil inside his belly. He trusted Canach, there was no doubt in his mind that the warrior would have only kept something from him if it would rouse him and keep him from his rest.

Taimi, however, had the very same line of thought. “Why were you resting? Are you injured?”, she asked and for a split second Shade wanted to lie, but the extra second that he did not answer were enough for the genius asura. “I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you won't try anything. Canach probably only wanted you to rest.”

“I do not need to be babysitted, Taimi.”, Shade reminded her sharply, but he imagined she was not intimidated by his tone at all.

“I'm sorry, Commander.” She truly sounded the part and Shade's chest ached. “If you won't promise me, then I won't tell you.”

One mistake. One injury. That was all it had been, yet everyone seemed to believe wrapping him into wool and ferns would keep him from harm. He knew his friends meant well, yet he was agitated by their protectiveness.

In a wave of anger he grabbed the robe from within the backpack and made to stand. His back ached with every movement, even standing alone was barel ypossible, but he grit his teeth through it and ripped the leafs and branches that had grown over his bark from his skin, pulled his clothes over his body.

“Commander!”, Taimi protested over the communicator. She could only hear the rustling of clothes, could hear his steps fade in the distance. She sunk back into the chair and stared at the screen in front of her, brain working rapidly in her head. She had no way of informing Canach, sending a letter would take longer than it took the Commander to do something reckless – and she had driven him into it.

_No, focus, you idiot. Self-pity can wait,_ she thought and turned her head. “Scruffy, get over here.” The golem charged to life, blue lights flickering over its panel. “We are making a visit.”

  
  


Shade took a deep breath and made his way through the Grove without looking at anyone. His head was swimming with emotions, most of them anger and frustration. Why had Canach not told him? Was he that desperately in need of protection? 

_One mistake_ , Shade thought bitterly and stormed past the guards into Caledon Forest, the fresh air caressing his skin. The sun was barely peeking over the canopy, the morning was cold and a thin mist lay in the air. 

There were loose ends that still made no sense and he stopped in his tracks to think.

For one, the golem. Why had Todd and his crew bothered to make it look like the golem had attacked and been attacked? To hide the lab, of course. Which meant Todd knew of the lab, and most likely also knew exactly what it had been used for. 

Secondly, the two sylvari. Surely if they had stumbled across the cave, they would have either had to cross through Todd's crew or found another passage in. Yet they had gone missing exactly in front of the entrance to the cave, so the possibility of another entrance was not zero, but it also meant it had to be close by if it existed, possibly covered, just as the cavern entrance had been. 

Or, they could have been seen by Todd and his crew, captured and thrown to the spiders. 

Shade set out with determination. There was another entrance he had to find – and if that did not exist, a certain asura to interrogate. 

  
  


Taimi had barely made it through the portal when she saw various sylvari cast wary and puzzled glances at her. “Excuse me!”, she looked down at the sylvari guard that stood at the asura gate from atop Scruffy 2.0 and the sylvari looked up at her with an expressionless face. “I am looking for Canach. Broad sylvari with a scowl on his face, second-born. He's with the Commander.”

The guard exchanged a look with his comrade. “I think I saw him move toward the cells just a few minutes ago.”, the guard said and looked up at her. “I hope that helps.”

“Me too.”, Taimi mumbled and Scruffy made his way through the Grove, the whole green and leafy surroundings not quite to her taste. And was it just her, or was it freezing here? The golem's stepped thumped on the ground, announcing its presence long before anybody really saw it. 

She then was both pleased and not at all surprised that Canach was approaching her with a frown. “Canach!”, she greeted cheerfully. 

“What are you doing here?”, he asked. She had forgotten how little of a small-talk person he was. 

“Well, certainly not enjoying the scenery.”, she murmured with another glance around and saw the lines on Canach's deepen with impatience. “It's the Commander, actually. He contacted me and...well...”

It was pleasant that Canach's sneer was not the only thing sharp about him. “You told him?”, he asked with a hint of anger and she shook her head.

“He figured out we talked, but I refused to tell him what about. So...he left.”

“He _left_?”, Canach repeated. “For a genius that was an astoundingly moronic move.” 

Taimi's pride hurt a bit. Well, more than a bit. “You can scold me later.”, she retorted. “For now I believe we have a Commander to find.”

  
  


Seeking another entrance prooved to be fruitless and Shade had no choice but to search inside. The guards at the entrance greeted him with a smile. “How are you feeling, Commander? We heard you were attacked.”

Shade waved it off with his hand, contained any sign of how much his back actually ached. “I am alright. Has there been any development while I was gone?”

“The asuran crew and some of our own researchers are currently working on the lab that was uncovered. If you want details on that, I suggest speaking with the lead researcher Shalla.”

Shade nodded. “Thank you.” The first thing he noticed was that the crystals were all turned on, that the tunnel and the first cave were illuminated and that the projection covering the passage had been lifted. 

He followed the voices, could see asura and sylvari working together on the consoles and as he entered the chamber that had just two days ago been infested by spiders, a female sylvari approached him with a smile and a data-pad in her arm. 

“Commander, I am glad you are feeling better.”, she greeted him.

“Thank you. I am searching for lead researcher Shalla.”

“That would be me.”, her smile widened. “I assume you want some insight on what we found out about this place?”

“If you would be amendable.”, Shade smiled back and followed her to a console. 

“This place was definitely built by asura, but you already knew that.”, she chuckled at herself. “But more specifically, the inquest. They were conducting experiments here, investigating the interaction of the genetic manipulation due to Mordremoth's Blithing Pods and the special properties in the Bloodstone. According to these readings they experimented on the local wild-life, like the spiders and as you know even better than I, that turned out badly.”

She cast a glance over him, saw the tear in his robe where the spider had bitten him, but the wound was covered from view. “Any signs that they experimented on asura or sylvari?”

She shook her head. “None so far, Commander. As far as I can see, this complex was abandoned after the spider queen broke loose – which would explain the many asuran corpses we have found.” She shuddered. “What a terrible fate.”

Shade gazed upward where some spider webs still remained, and probably would until they fell to dust. “Anything else?”

“Nothing despite the fact that the asura are quite uncomfortable with our presence here. They are reluctant to share their knowledge with us and cooperation has been...arduous.”

“Not that, you scrambling twig!”, an asura called and many turned their heads, but very few actually lingered to stare. Shade moved closer to the asura who was furiously tapping his large, thick fingers on the panel.

“But I am sure I saw-”, the female sylvari protested and the asura growled and looked up at her, but froze for a second when he saw Shade. 

“That wa- ah. Commander.”

“I do not believe we have been introduced.”, Shade frowned, even though he knew his reputation preceded him.

“I am Zeck.”, the Asura introduced himself. “Part of Todd's redearch team and coordinator of thos madness your people call collaboration.”

Shade ignored the barb entirely and looked at the female sylvari. “what did you see?”, he asked her and she smiled shyly, turned toward the console and pressed a few buttons before a small mapping showed. 

“This seems to be a map of the whole complex.”, she said and turned her head. “Right here,” she pointed to a faintly glowing dot on the panel, “Seems to be a room with a large amount of energy detained in it, yet it requires an access code and we have found no signs of any door.”

“It's close?”, Shade asked and leaned closer to the map, tried to discern how far away it possibly was. 

She nodded eagerly. “It has to be. If my guesses are correct, it has to be in a chamber adjacent to this one, or one below us. I also assume that the energy is a storage of bloodstone and that that is the energy reading we are seeing, which is why there is bloodstone sprouting in this very cave.” She pointed toward the blighting pods that were covered and surrounded by the red crystals. “The energy and the bloodstone permeate even the stone, reaching up here and-”

“Nonsense!”, Zeck interrupted her. “Commander, please, do not listen to this drivel.”

“Do you have an explanation for me, then?”, Shade asked and Zeck folded his arms in front of his chest.

“There's no door to it, and no access code.”, he nearly spat out the words. “One of the tunnels leads straight to it and there's no Bloodstone in it. It's a storage room for data cores and power matrices to keep the systems running.”

“Show me.”, Shade ordered and Zeck stiffened, but kept his face level. 

“There might me spiders down there.”, Zeck tried and Shade shrugged. He would not let that deter him, and most certainly would he not let a spider get the better of him again. 

“You had better take a weapon with you, then.”, Shade smiled and Zeck muttered under his breath, walked on his small feet toward a pile of weapons and other equipment and grabbed a long barrelled rifle from the pile, shouldering it with practised ease. 

“Right this way.”, the asura muttered as he walked past Shade and he followed him. 

  
  


Illuminated as the cave was, it certainly looked much less intimidating, yet the spider webs still made for an awful decoration. 

Taimi studied the various panels with keen interest and followed Canach's eager and steady steps. The second-born halted in front of a female sylvari who looked non-plussed when she saw him.

“Ah-”, she made in surprise, looked over his shoulder into the passage and then back at him. “Aren't you-?”

“Yes, I am.”, Canach cut in sharply. “The Commander was here I take it. Where did he go?”

“Zeck took him to a sub-chamber.”, the female sylvari replied and Taimi glanced down from Scruffy at the panel and frowned. 

“What's that spike of energy? Is that...is that bloodstone?”

“You think so too?”, the female sounded almost fearful. “Zeck said it was power cores and...matrices...”

“No power matrix was built to make readings like that.”, Taimi replied. 

“So its a pretense.”, Canach surmized and took a deep breath. “I take it you have figured out where the chamber is?”, he asked Taimi and she nodded. 

“Yeah, I know where it is.”

“Then let's go.”, Canach made a grab for his shield when the sylvari woman stopped him.

“Wait!”, she called and when Canach turned, he noticed how wide her eyes had grown, how her hand trembled just slightly. “The commander's in danger?”, she whispered and her eyes trailed toward the pile of equipment, then back at Canach. “Zeck is armed. He took a rifle with him.”

  
  


“You said there would be no door.”, Shade reminded him and Zeck grumbled. 

“Yeah, well, I didn't build this place,” He tapped into the pad and it opened on the very first try. Shade frowned at him as the door opened smoothly with barely a sound. It was dark inside and Shade summoned a flame into his hand.

“Step back.”, he instructed and the asura stood behind him, watched the Commander cast a fireball into the room ahead that illuminated the stark, cold stone walls for a brief moment, but there was no sign of a spider or spiders webs, nor of anything else that might have rested down here. 

He engulfed his hand in flame and stepped forward carefully, casting glances around and heard the asura follow close behind. It was a wide, broad passage, there were dormant crystals embedded into the rock at the sides.

“Why are they not turned on?”, Shade asked.

“There's a control panel up ahead.”, Zeck replied and Shade could see another door ahead, much like the first. He tried to remember the Asura's hand movement and copied it, his fingers flying over the keys. The panel blinked and the door opened.

The room ahead was dark and humid and Shade could see a panel a few meters ahead, right in front of them. It was active and a faint blue light pulsed form it, illuminating the room barely. There were crystals all over the walls and ceiling and Shade stepped inside, glanced at the strange crystals with a frown. 

He felt the electrostatic in the air, could taste it on his tongue, felt it tingling on his skin. His own magic thrummed in his veins and the loop on his shoulder throbbed. He knew the feeling of this overloaded air, the taste of dark magic, the unbound - 

He felt something cool and metallic press into his lower back, the asura that had escorted him all the way down here holding the barrel right into his bark.

“End of the Line, Commander.”, the Asura behind him said in a conceited tone. “Shame, I had thought you were the smart kind.”

Lights flickered on, but only a red, ominious glow illuminated the room and Shade's heart fell.

The room was filled with bloodstone, crystals and shards gleaming from the walls and every corner and when he tried to summon a static aura, the air sizzled loudly, a lightning discharged close to him and then his magic drained from him as the shards consumed it from beneath his skin. He grabbed at his waist, unsheathed his dagger and as he spun around, the sound of a loud shot rang through the room.

For a second everything was quiet, then a body thudded to the floor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me, I swear I hate endlings like this as much as the next, but this had to be done. Bear with me just a little longer.


	9. Bathe in the Light

Shade's body froze and for a second he expected the pain of the shot for a stretching, long second, but the pain never came. Instead he heard the asura fall to the floor and as Shade fully turned around he saw a figure appearing from the dark corridor, approaching only slowly.

“Canach?”, Shade asked in surprise, saw that the warrior held a rifle of his own. There was a loud thumping noise and behind Canach Shade recognized Scruffy from the lights flickering through his metallic shell. “Taimi?”

Shade almost jumped when Canach threw the rifle into a corner where it banged loudly against the stone wall. He looked furious and Shade stood rooted as Canach approached him with sure, steady strides and expected the warrior to yell at him, to scold him and sneer, but instead Canach extended his arms and pulled Shade tightly against his chest in an almost bone-breaking embrace.

Shade gasped as the air was pressed from his lungs and he realized how stupid he had been, how careless, that Canach had worried and had he not miraculously found him here, Shade would have...

He relaxed into Canach's arms, raised his own and pulled Canach closer and as he did, Canach sighed against his neck. It all washed over him, that Shade should have never left, that he had acted impulsively and rashly, that there had been no need to prove himself to anybody.

Canach slowly broke away, his face illuminated by the red glow of the crystals and his eyes moved in between Shade's. “Are you alright?”, he asked in almost a whisper and Shade's heart beat harshly into his throat and the words got stuck on the way.

He had worried him so much, for no reason. None at all but his own damned pride. “I'm sorry.”, Shade mumbled. He did a lot of apologizing lately, showing just how much of an idiot he was. “I wanted...” he sighed and Canach seemed to understand, even without words. It was one of the many things Canach did, among completely erasing the fact that Shade was the Commander, the Leader of Dragon's Watch, a sylvari who had led others into battle. With Canach here, Shade was just a younger sylvari, a sapling, a valiant still searching for an answer on how to deal with life and all its twists and turns.

“We will speak of this later.”, Canach said with an even voice and Shade heard the Asura that lay tangled beneath their feet groan. The warrior did not even cast Zeck a glance when he stepped down onto the small body, pushing it tightly against the ground and the asura yelped out in pain. “But right now, I believe we have an asura to arrest and question.”

Shade nodded with a tight throat and cast Taimi a glance, wondered what she was doing here when it suddenly dawned to him that she must have come here to inform Canach that he had gone. Without her, Canach would have never known, had never searched, would never have been here in time.

Canach stepped away and grabbed the small asura by the belt on his back, lifting him like someone might luggage and made his way back through the passage. As Shade stepped toward Taimi he glanced up at her.

“Thank you and...I am sorry.”

“It's quite alright.”, Taimi chirped. “I finally had an excuse to leave my lab and quite frankly, this is much more exciting. I hope you'll allow me to stay so I can take a look at those consoles you found?”

Shade shook his head at her unbound enthusiasm. “Of course. Knock yourself out.”

“Yaay!”, she cheered and Shade thought he imagined it, but even Scruffy seemed lighter in his steps as they made their way back to the Grove.

  
  


It was all wrapping up at that point. Finding out why Zeck had tried to attack him and to finally find out how the two sylvari had gotten into the complex in the first place to die to the spiders in the cave.

Councillor Ludo and Councillor Yahk were present when Canach brought Zeck in for questioning just about half a day later. Shade was present as well, despite the Pale Tree's assurances that his presence was not required and that he should rest from the exertion and concentrate on becoming well.

He had insisted that he needed to see this through and that the soothing and restorative aura in her chamber already eased his pains and has asked her to not send him away.

She had not refused him and now gave him a warm, gentle smile before her eyes settled on the asura before her. Two guards, wardens, stood at her side to protect her if necessary. But Zeck was no longer armed and even with his bare hands, he would not pose much of a threat.

“So he is part of the Inquest?”, Councillor Ludo asked Councillor Yahk who gave her a cold, hard glare.

“He is part of Todd's crew, which, apparently, have sought abandoned inquest research for profit.”

“It was Todd's idea!”, Zeck was quick to cut in. He was not about to take the fall for somebody else, not when everything was going down the drain anyway. “He found out about the complex and knew about the inquest experiments.”

“And so you took it on yourself to study and exploit them?”, Councillor Ludo asked with a condescending tone.

“We had barely gotten there when we discovered that the lab was overrun by bloodstone crazed spiders. We tried to eradicate them via a toxin we distributed over the ventilation system.”

“And failed.”, Councillor Ludo concluded.

“What about the two sylvari?”, Shade cut in. All this about information and data and labs was of no concern to him. He would give Taimi all the time he could with it and destroy it after so it never saw the light of day ever again. Although, given it was built into a complex of caves, it propably never had.

Zeck only slowly lifted his head to look up at him. “We wanted to make sure the spiders were gone.”, he explained.

Shade stared at him and his brain seemed to freeze. For a second he did not comprehend, then it slowly dawned to him. “You...you captured them and fed them to the spiders?”, he breathed disbelievingly.

“They discovered us!”, Zeck reasoned frantically. “We had to do something.”

“To get rid of them.”, Shade concluded for him and took a deep breath. He wondered if it was the wound in his back that made him feel so faint.

“So you admit to the murder of both sylvari.”, Councillor Ludo said.

“I've told you, it was Todd's idea!”, Zeck insisted.

Councillor Ludo glared at him coolly before she lifted her eyes toward the Pale Tree. “I am deeply sorry this has come to pass. I realize that you have lost two of you own, yet I ask that Todd's crew be placed in our custody to be trialed for murder and unethical conducting of experiments under our laws.”

“What about the lab?”, Councillor Yahk interjected. “I demand that all data that has been collected and found be returned to us so we may store it for future purposes in the pursuit of collecting knowledge.”

“No.”, Shade cut in, and his voice was ice. It was the first time in a very, very long time that he felt his attunement to water and a fine, cooling mist permeated the air around him. “The lab will be destroyed. There is only one thing you will collect in your pursuit today, and that is the knowledge that the power of an Elder Dragon and Bloodstone magic are not to be tempered with. The tunnels and the complex will be closed shut.”

“I stand by my heralds decision.”, the Pale Tree finally decided. “Yet there is one more thing that needs to be settled.”

Councillor Ludo looked up in surprise. “Which is?”

“I have been informed that this asura made an attempt on the Herald's life.”, Something flashed behind her eyes, but it was gone the very next second.

There was a moment of silence that stretched and Shade saw Councillor Yahk and Councillor Ludo exchange glances, but he could not read them.

“It was an act of desperation.”, Zeck finally confessed, but it sounded too level to be the truth. “After the sylvari researchers swarmed in, I knew everything would be discovered eventually. I...panicked.”

“You may proceed, as we have agreed.”, the Pale Tree finally said and the guards grabbed Zeck, escorted Councillor Yahk and and Councillor Ludo down from the chamber. Shade watched them and right before Councillor Yahk entered the seed to transport them down, he saw a small, bold and evil smile playing on the asura's lips that was meant for him before the seed drifted toward the ground and out of sight.

Someone among the asura wanted him dead, he realized. He could think of a million reasons why, yet he felt too exhausted to recall any of them.

“Herald.”, the Mother called and Shade, despite the discomfort in his back, made his way to the Pale Tree. “You have once more succeeded in uncovering a mystery and solving it. I am grateful for all your deeds, but now you should rest.”

“Of course, Mother.”, Shade replied and bowed his head, slowly made his exit to where Canach stood and waited. The warrior had been quiet, cast only a brief glance at their Mother before they departed toward the Dreamers Terrace.

They were quiet for most of their walk, even though words burned on Shade's soul. He knew he had reacted in a fashion that had nearly cost him his life, and was well aware that Canach knew that as well.

“Will we speak of this?”, Shade asked carefully, felt his throat tight and constricted, had to force the words out. He could see the surface of the pools below them as they descended the spiral.

Canach sighed, but was quiet until they reached even ground. When they did he turned his body fully toward Shade, trapped him with onyx eyes alone. “I am not the sylvari for emotional words and discussions about pride, even though I admit to having it. But it seems I can not extricate myself from this, so....” He took another deep breath and slowly continued the walk down the path and Shade followed, his heart feeling heavy in his chest. “I am no stranger to death. I know it occurs, that it is an essential part of life and I have felt its torment. It is not pleasant.”

Shade stayed quiet and listened. There was little else he could do, because no words would even reach his mouth for speak them. The door to the Dreamers Terrace opened as they approached and closed behind them with a soft sound.

Canach stood rooted, was staring at the spiral that lead upward, but his mind was elsewhere. “When you are in danger, that torment returns.”, Canach finally admitted. “It took something from me that day, and if something happens to you, I will have no chance of ever being whole again.”

Shade's heart ached. _That day,_ it echoed in his head and he remembered Balthazar's blow, the day he had died. He wanted to speak, but when Canach turned his head to look into his eyes, all the words died away. All the apologies, all the comfort, all the empathy.

“You do not seem to understand but...your life is no longer entirely your own.”, the warrior said. “If something were to happen to you-”, he made a strangled, almost pained noise and Shade felt horrible, despicable for putting him through this. To see Canach in such discomfort and pain. “I can not bear it.”, Canach whispered. “I would sooner give my mind to Mordremoth than to see and feel it happening again.”

“Canach-”, Shade finally got out. It sounded strangled and strained, but Canach stepped closer to him, his very presence engulfing him, washing over his body and rendering all his thoughts away.

“You do not seem to understand.”, Canach lifted his hands slowly, almost fearfully and gently cupped Shade's cheeks, leaned his head down and brought their faces so close together Shade felt his breath hotly against his skin. “Your life is precious, there are so many people that count on you, who look up to you, and I...” Shade's hand trembled when his own hands grasped Canach's to have anything to hold on to. “and most of all...I...” he struggled for another second before he whispered, “I love you.” and finally brushed their lips together chastely.

Shade sighed into the kiss, pressed himself into Canach's embrace. There was a desire burning inside him to show Canach that he loved him, that his life meant nothing without the warrior in it and he pushed Canach back, felt their bodies bump against the wall, but never parted from Canach's lips.

Canach groaned and tilted his head, captured the lips hungrily, his own desire growing in warm, steady waves that surged from his core. Shade replied in kind, pressed his chest tightly against Canach, moaned against his lips.

It was an urgency Shade had rarely felt so strongly before, to make Canach see and feel, an overwhelming desire that compelled him to act. His fingers brushed over Canach's shoulders, over his chest piece and tore it from his skin. The leafs and hardened armor fell in a heap to the floor and the warrior chest radiated heat that lingered beneath Shade's palms.

He eagerly pulled Canach with him, stumbled backwards toward the spiral but refused to break the kiss. Canach followed him, step by step, pushing and urging him on, just as eager as he was until finally, Shade felt the bed press into his knees.

His mind was swimming and he felt Canach's hands on the hem of his robe and he broke the kiss briefly, lifted his arms and Canach pulled it over his head in one wide range of motion and threw it onto the ground. His own hands worked on Canachs trousers, felt them shift and heard them flutter to the floor.

His own pants clanked as the metal fell into a heap, but he cared very little at the moment. He grabbed Canach's neck, pulled him eagerly toward him in a heated kiss which the warrior returned with mutual urgency.

Shade moaned against his lips and turned them around, pushed against Canach and fell on top of him on the bed, caught his fall with his hands. Their lips had barely separated for a second, yet Shade could not stand it. He captured the warriors lips with his own, felt Canach's hands roam over his naked back and boldly grasped Canach's arousal with his hand.

There was a groan beneath him and Shade covered Canach's mouth, captured the sound and savored it, wrapped his hand around Canach's shaft and felt the warrior's skin shudder beneath him. When he began to move his hand along the length Canach hissed out a breath and Shade leaned back, watched the pleasure so plainly displayed on Canach's face and wanted it to last.

He put his knees beside Canach's thighs, his hand holding his arousal still and Canach grabbed his hips, groaned when Shade positioned himself atop of him.

Canach relished the sight, Shade's dark, lean chest puffed out slightly, his legs beside his hips and Shade looked at him, his eyes burning and smoldering with a desire Canach had never seen in his eyes before with such intensity.

There was a brief moment Canach's mind screamed that this was a bad idea, that Shade was still injured and needed to rest, but the heat and desire made it hard to think and he could not get the words past his brain.

Without even a warning Shade sunk down and Canach groaned loudly, felt Shade's heat wrap around him inch for inch and suddenly, Shade leaned forward, breathed heavily against his lips.

“Look at me.”, Shade begged and Canach opened his eyes, had not even realized that he had closed them. The green of Shade's eyes engulfed him and he saw Shade pant, lips parted beautifully. A moan escaped him and he sunk down even more, locked his eyes with Canach to relish every single moment of their connection.

When he was flush against Canach's hips Shade slowly lifted his upper body up, erected himself as tall as he could and rested his hands on Canach's stomach, his smoldering, lust-filled eyes never breaking contact.

The warrior groaned at the sight, that look of complete control and ultimate desire. Shade's pattern glowed in the dim light of the room, painting rivers of gold over his charcoal skin and in between the marks of his bark glinted small sparks of lightning that sizzled in the air.

When he began to move it was all that Canach could do not to come right then. He grasped Shade's thighs, held on to them as the elementalist moved and kept his eyes open, watched Shade move up and down and he began to move up his pelvis to meet him, thrust for thrust.

Shade's eyes became heavy-lidded and he moaned, strained to keep eye-contact with Canach, but he did not want to break it. He wanted to see and to make Canach see, even though he was so close already he doubted he could last much longer.

Canach moved deep inside him, touched the spot that sent electricity up his spine and Shade threw his head back and moaned loudly, could not contain the sounds that erupted form his throat. Heat coiled in his stomach, hot and demanding, slow, growing pulses that melted his skin.

He forced himself to look at Canach again, poured every ounce of will he had into that single action and the waves surged, washing against the dam and he stood right on the edge, felt Canach move so deep inside him with steady thrusts and when he sunk down, Canach lifted his pelvis and hthe warrior's whole skin shuddered, his muscles and convulsed and Shade watched the orgasm ripple through him, saw it in every fiber of him and felt his shaft pulse deeply within him.

He moaned at the sight and an the sensations, allowed himself to tip over the edge, his fingers digging into Canach's bark and his legs shuddered when the heat washed over him, when his whole body trembled and his insides melted away. The pulses surged into every strand of his being, shook him to his very core and when they subsided he was panting heavily, chest heaving with labored, unsteady breaths.

Canach beneath him was just the same. His broad chest moved rhythmically, he was gazing up at Shade with heavy eyes and Shade leaned down, placed his hands beside Canach's head and kissed him gently, sighed into the softness of his lips.

Arms wrapped around his back and pulled him closer and he felt himself being turned, gently landed on his side and only then broke the kiss to look at Canach, who was studying him with tender eyes.

He nuzzled closer, pressed his face against Canach's chest and inhaled his scent. Strong, warm arms held him securely in place and he let his eyes drift shut, his mind empty and slowly his consciousness fade.

Canach was here with him, he thought just before he fell asleep. He loved him, and that was all that counted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with me through this. I know this is nowhere in GW2, it is simply something I thought of and I might continue with this because it was so much fun to think about an write.  
> Please let me know in the comments if you liked it and leave kudos if you want to make my day, and, of course, if I deserve them. Lots of Love! Lessthanthree, ~S


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